沃尔特·惠特曼

Walter "Walt" Whitman (May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist, and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among the most influential poets in the American canon, often called the father of free verse.His work was very controversial in its time, particularly his poetry collection Leaves of Grass, which was described as obscene for its overt sexuality.

Born in Huntington on Long Island, Whitman worked as a journalist, a teacher, a government clerk, and—in addition to publishing his poetry—was a volunteer nurse during the American Civil War. Early in his career, he also produced a temperance novel, Franklin Evans (1842). Whitman's major work, Leaves of Grass, was first published in 1855 with his own money. The work was an attempt at reaching out to the common person with an American epic. He continued expanding and revising it until his death in 1892. After a stroke towards the end of his life, he moved to Camden, New Jersey, where his health further declined. When he died at age 72, his funeral became a public spectacle.

沃尔特·惠特曼（英语：Walt Whitman，1819年5月31日－1892年3月26日），美国诗人、散文家、新闻工作者及人文主义者。他身处于超验主义与现实主义间的变革时期，著作兼并了二者的文风。惠特曼是美国文坛中最伟大的诗人之一，有自由诗之父的美誉。他的文作在当时实具争议性，尤其是他的著名诗集《草叶集》，曾因其对性的大胆描述而被归为淫秽。

出生于长岛，惠特曼除了文学创作之外，也从事记者、教师、政府文书等职，并曾于美国内战期间志愿担任护士。他也曾在创作生涯初期发行过禁酒小说《富兰克林·伊凡》 (1842)。惠特曼的重要著作《草叶集》则是于1855年自费出版，尝试着让普罗大众接触美国史诗，直至1892年逝世之前仍不断增著、删修该著作。在晚年的一次中风后，他迁居至新泽西州的肯顿，病情并在当地持续恶化。惠特曼以72岁高龄辞世，他的葬礼随后以公开方式举行，出席者众多、景象壮观。

惠特曼的性向和他的诗作一样，常是众人议论的对象。尽管传记作家不断为其性向争辩，在爱慕与情感面，惠特曼通常被视为同性恋或双性恋者。然而，传记作家间对惠特曼是否曾与男性有实际性经验仍抱持歧见。惠特曼生前一直十分挂心政治。他拥护威尔莫特但书，大体而言对奴隶制度的扩张持反对立场。他的诗作展现了种族平等主义的观点，曾一度公开呼吁废除奴隶制度，但后视废奴主义运动为对民主的阻碍。